


Smile

by anaer



Category: Dissidia: Final Fantasy
Genre: Crack, Humor, M/M, Strifehart Week 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-19 11:10:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11896515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anaer/pseuds/anaer
Summary: Squall definitely doesn't smile.  He doesn't.  Really.  (And is Cloud flirting with him?)Strifehart Week 2017: Day 5 - Dissidia





	Smile

Squall went in for the final blow, bringing his gunblade abruptly down on the purple manikin in front of him and rending it in two.  The facsimile of himself fell to the ground, those totally wrong eyes staring blankly into nothing.  Whoever made these manikins really needed to get better at sculpting likenesses.  Squall was much better looking than this fake thing that was supposed to be him.

Stillness fell – his battle now won – and Squall relaxed his grip on his weapon, reaching up with his other arm to wipe away the sweat-damp hair sticking to his face.  Alone – just the way he liked it – and triumphant – the way he always preferred it – Squall felt it was finally safe to indulge in his very secret pastime.  He didn’t do it often (it wasn’t a habit, and he didn’t plan to make it one) but now, with no one around to spill the beans to anyone else (Bartz and Zidane, annoyingly gossipy as they were), he finally did it.

Squall smiled.  It wasn’t a big smile – teeth didn’t even show.  He just pulled the corners of his lips up a tad.  Just enough to revel in his triumph in privacy for a second.  It felt kind of good.  He’d do it more often, but, well – he had a carefully cultivated reputation to upkeep, and “being happy” wasn’t part of that.  Still, it was nice to indulge every once in a while.

Clapping from behind caught him off guard, and Squall spun around, storm clouds washing any sign of happiness from his face.  His sword was up before he’d finished moving, but he paused when he realized it was just Cloud.  And then had a moment of panic but – no.  Cloud had been behind him.  No way could he have seen.  Besides, Cloud was walking towards him so he had no time to try and feel emotions.  He was a solid wall. 

“Nicely done,” Cloud complimented easily.  The blonde wasn’t smiling, either, but there was a lightness to his eyes – they flickered with amusement like he was…was…was laughing at Squall or something.  The nerve.  Squall Leonhart was not one to be laughed at.  Mocked.  He didn’t laugh at Cloud, did he?  No; he just ogled him from afar when no one else was looking.  Like a reasonable person.

“What are you doing here?”

Cloud cocked his head.  “Just passing through,” he replied.  “Saw you fighting; stopped to appreciate the view.” 

Was Cloud flirting with him?  Or did he just like to watch mindless violence like that?  Either was reasonable, but Squall didn’t know what to respond with, so he just went for his catch all answer, perfect for all occasions: “Whatever.” 

Cloud kicked at the dismantled manikin spread across the ground before them, staring at it with a contemplative frown.  “Never thought the only thing that’d make you smile would be killing yourself.”

Oh, Hyne.  His secret passion.  “…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said stiffly.  “And I didn’t kill myself; that thing is not me.  They barely look anything like us.  The ass on yours is all wrong.”  And, okay, that last part had meant to be a thought, but if secrets were being spilt now, anyway…what the hell?

Cloud’s head jerked back up, and he stared, mouth gaping, at Squall.  It took him at least ten seconds before he was recovered enough to respond.  “That…that’s true, yeah.  It is.”  He paused.  “But it’s okay; I won’t tell anyone you can smile.  I’m sure no one would believe me, anyway.”  Except they probably would believe Cloud because he could be almost as serious as Squall sometimes, and also he’d been dubiously evil in the last cycle (and no one really knew why he’d switched sides – or wanted to ask), so there was that. 

Squall really needed to stop finding himself attracted to dubiously bad blonde men. 

“I don’t do that,” Squall said firmly.   But then, because he couldn’t help himself, added, “…Except under…exigent circumstances.” 

Cloud let out an undignified snort, unable to keep all his laughter inside.  Vindication rose up in Squall, and he had to fight down the smile that wanted to reassert itself over his face.  Now was not the time.

“Exigent circumstances,” Cloud repeated.  “I think I’ve got some…exigent circumstances.”  And, okay, the way Cloud had not-so-subtly waggled his eyebrows was a blatant sign even for Squall.  Cloud definitely was flirting with him, and good thing, too.  Otherwise, he’d never live down that comment about Cloud’s rather nice ass.

“Should I take my clothes off and find out?” 

This was grossly out of character, but it was worth it for the continued surprise Cloud kept giving him.  It was good to keep people on their toes sometimes. 

But now it was Cloud’s turn to smile.  “By all means.”

Squall thought about it.  Well, he was still (mostly) alone and completely triumphant.  The dead manikin was still there as proof. And, you know…these were still the circumstances under which he liked to indulge.

The smile came back up on his face, and Squall reached for his belt.

**Author's Note:**

> Hah, I finished Day 5 before day 4. Hope you enjoyed!


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